Q400 Bombardier Plane Crashes Near Buffalo

A Q400 Bombardier Plane crashed in Clarence Center, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, on Thursday night. The flight, Continental Connection Flight 3407, was bound for Buffalo and originated in Newark. All 48 people on board were killed. The plane crash also destroyed a house killing one Clarence Center resident and injuring two others.

"At this point there is no information whatsoever as to what the cause may be," Collins said on Friday morning. There was no sign of a terrorist connection
to the crash at about 10:20 p.m. on Thursday (0320 GMT on Friday), said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Recordings played on U.S. television networks showed the control tower in Buffalo lost contact with the plane as it was set to start its approach. There was no distress signal.

At this point the cause of the crash is still unknown. Although the weather conditions were common in New York this time of year (snowing, 32 degrees Fahrenheit), experts say it only takes a small amount of ice buildup to impact aerodynamics.

One of the passengers aboard the flight, Beverly Eckhart, 54, was a 9/11 widow on the way to celebrate her late husband's birthday with his family in Buffalo. Although Colgan Air, the line operating the flight, has not confirmed any of the names of those on board, Eckhart's sister told the Buffalo News... "We know she was on that plane, and now she's with him."